


The Shadows Of The Past

by Cosmic_Chaos_24



Category: She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)
Genre: Backstory, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/F, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Past Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-04-17
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-03-02 03:07:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,264
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23708119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cosmic_Chaos_24/pseuds/Cosmic_Chaos_24
Summary: After years of separation, Shadow Weaver reunites with her childhood best friend, Rose Chamberlain. But when their relationship brings back faded memories, they are forced to come to terms with complicated feelings, both old and new.
Relationships: Shadow Weaver/OC
Comments: 4
Kudos: 7





	The Shadows Of The Past

**Author's Note:**

> In this fanfic I elaborate on Shadow Weaver's backstory, explaining why she turned out the way she did. I am not trying to excuse her actions in any way. 
> 
> I also give Shadow Weaver a real name and use it on occasion. 
> 
> Comment and tell me what you think. It makes my day. :)

* * *

**In The Beginning**

A tall, burly guard stood in front of the door. His uniform was taut against his bulging muscles, and two thick, curled goat horns poked out from his head and his long silvery hair. His face is stoic, staring straight ahead, completely unaware of the two young girls hiding behind the potted plants sitting around the corner. One of them, no older than seven, had pointy ears, greenish-grey skin, and her gorgeous waves of long dark hair ran flawlessly down her back. When she smiled her whole face lit up, even though it was a bit mischievous. Her bright green eyes glittered like twin emeralds. Her best friend, also seven, appeared much more human, with pale skin, hazel eyes, and rosy lips that are small and pretty. Small freckles dotted her nose and cheeks, and part of her auburn hair is pulled back in an intricate braid, while the rest curled over her shoulders. Both girls wore pearls and skirts and satin blouses adorned with lace, their slender legs covered with tight stockings. Both of their parents are wealthy, so they have never really known true hardship, not yet. 

Still oblivious to the eyes watching him, the guard casually rolled up his sleeve to glance at the face of his golden watch. The girls, who had been peering through the leaves of the plant, instantly ducked when he moved, hardly daring to even breathe too loudly. After a moment they turned to each other, whispering. 

"Are you sure about this, Rose?" The green-eyed girl asked her friend. Both of them had heard the possibly mythical rumors of what lay behind that door, and they were finally beginning to make her apprehensive. The pair had been on many "perilous" adventures before, becoming masters of sneaking around, but none of them were as risky as this. Not even the time they'd snuck into a private banquet held for only the most distinguished Sorcerers, picking food off the tables right under their prissy noses. 

"Yes, I'm sure," Rose mouthed in reply. "We've been waiting forever for this! Don't you want to do this too, Alura?" 

Alura shrugged, warily observing the ominous "Keep Out" signs posted next to the door. "I guess." 

"It's okay," Rose whispered, placing her small, warm hand on top of her friend's in reassurance. "We'll be fine! We're Explorers, remember?" 

At this, most of Alura's hesitation appeared to melt away. "Of course! We're Explorers! We aren't afraid of anything!" 

"We laugh in the face of danger! Ha!" Rose declared proudly, as loud as she could without being discovered. "Shh!" Alura hissed, flashing her a teasing smile. Rose returned it, feeling Alura tenderly taking her hand, which was still touching hers. She squeezed it, interlocking their fingers. "You don't need to worry," Rose said, in a more serious tone. "No matter what happens, we'll stay together. Always." And they both knew she wasn't just talking about their upcoming adventure. 

"Promise?" Alura whispered. 

"Promise." 

Not too far away, the bored guard checked his watch again, letting out a sigh of relief. His seemingly eternal shift was finally over. For the first time since the girls had been spying on him, he grinned, whistling a happy tune as he walked down the hall. Even when he was out of sight, the girls remained in their cramped hiding spot, waiting until they were sure he was a safe distance away. When several minutes passed and he never came back for something forgotten, they emerged from behind the plant, hardly able to contain their giggles. 

Standing on her tiptoes, Alura entered a complicated code into a keypad next to the door. It flashed green, and the forbidden door slid open. "It worked," Alura said, almost in surprise. 

"Come on!" Rose squealed. Hand in hand yet again, they both ran into the darkness. The door closed solidly behind them. 

The room they found themselves is dimly lit and enormous. It contained rows upon rows of wooden shelves similar to those found in a library, with ladders to help reach the highest ones. Instead of books, however, the shelves held millions of crystal bottles. The bottles were filled with sparkling liquids of every color imaginable, twinkling like neon stars in the darkness. In the middle of the room sat what looked like a giant cauldron, plumes of green steam rising from the bubbling contents within, up towards a stained glass ceiling designed with mysterious patterns and symbols. 

"Wow," both girls breathed in unison, their eyes starry as they took in their surroundings. Why did everyone say the Potion Room was dangerous? It was beautiful! 

They instantly began exploring, letting goin of one another so they could take bottles off the shelves, examining them, shakingin them. Avoiding one that had what looked like glassy eyes floating inside of it, Rose picked up a bottle and bravely popped the cork off of it. Strands of thin light spiraled out of the open top, weaving itself into a glowing golden flower. Rose gasped in delight, the illusion quickly disappearing, but she still had enough time to breathe in the sweet scent. A smoky pink butterfly soared out from the bottle Alura had opened, fluttering its delicate wings before vanishing. 

"Do you know what any of these are used for?" Rose asked. "Your parents work here." 

"No," Alura grumbled, closing the bottle and putting it back on the shelf. "They never tell me anything, and they get annoyed when I ask questions." 

"Oh. I'm sorry," Rose said, shuddering when she noticed the disembodied eyes again. They didn't look human, yellow and with divided slits for pupils. She imagined them coming from some drooling, bloodthirsty monster. With lots of sharp fangs. Alura walked past her, drawn to a particular bottle a few steps away. The potion is a mixture of swirling orange and yellow, so bright it looked like a glamorous flame. She picked it up, the glass cool in her fingers, and watched the colors slowly shift and blend in tendrils of glitter. In awe she popped off the cap, excited to see what secrets it would reveal. Instead it abruptly spurted out from the bottle, splashing onto her face and biting her with acidic teeth. She smelled something metallic, an excruciating hot-cold sizzling sensation raging deeply on her flesh. 

Her mind went white, consumed only with the wish that it would stop...

Rose instantly heard her cry of pain, shock flooding through her veins and making everything seem like it was in slow motion, unable to comprehend how quickly the situation had switched from wonder to horror. In this haze, she watched the bottle fall and shatter violently, hardly aware that her own hysterical cries had mixed in with Alura's piercing, tortured screams. The pain had brought her friend down to the floor, writhing and wailing from the seething stars of agony exploding in her skin. Rose could see splashes of an awful orange glow on the lower half of her face. 

_Her face is on fire!_ Rose's panic-stricken mind concluded, every instinct she had telling her to run and find someone, but she was so scared, full of fear for her friend, fear of what she was seeing happen to her. So she stood there sobbing, and it was the belief that she was watching her best friend burn to death that brought her out of it, like someone had flicked a switch. "Stay here," she said shakily, "I'll be back." Then she turned and ran to go get help.

She had only one thought:

_This was all her fault._


End file.
